The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

[MacGuffin]

Fincher to make 'Sacrifice'
Helmer circling 'Dragon Tattoo'
Source: Variety

David Fincher is making his next move, on Columbia Pictures' chess drama "Pawn Sacrifice."

The director is attached to the life story of American chess icon Bobby Fischer leading up to his historic world championship match against Boris Spassky.

Fincher is also circling the studio's high-profile literary adaptation "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which Scott Rudin is producing. Though there is no deal in place on "Dragon Tattoo," Fincher has catapulted to the top of the studio's list to helm the pic based on Stieg Larsson's bestseller.

Producer Gail Katz has been developing "Pawn Sacrifice" for Columbia for years. Scribe Steven Knight ("Dirty Pretty Things") recently turned in a screenplay that has attracted a number of A-list directors. Columbia was eager to work with Fincher again after collaborating on the director's upcoming Facebook pic "The Social Network."

Tobey Maguire is also producing "Pawn Sacrifice."

Fincher made his previous two films -- "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Zodiac" -- for Paramount. The helmer's attachment to "Pawn Sacrifice" and "Dragon Tattoo" signals that he is looking for a new home. Fincher, who is a final-cut director, became the first helmer with such a distinction to work with Columbia when he signed on to make "Social Network."

[Gold Trumpet]

I wonder if David Fincher is becoming his own version of Tim Burton - someone who started out doing films akin to a personality and then branched off into other films because they challenged his talent of production. I also wonder if the reason they are being forced to take on production challenges has a lot to do with the limitations of their kind of personal storytelling. Fincher can only make so much out of the dark recesses of the serial killer genre like Burton could only do so much in his version of innocent, youthful and ultimately hopeful goth films. I think both filmmakers had good intentions but just became inherently limited.

I think Fincher has a better future because he has a better handle on scriptwriting or recognizing it, but I also think he will be a filmmaker who only sparingly connects with a story that reminds people of why they originally liked him. Fincher and Burton will both imitate their past with mediocrity and both already have, but both may only be able to reconnect with their old inspiration sometimes.

A theoretical hypothesis. I intended to make it sound like that, but got a little carried away with the tone.

[matt35mm]

Fincher is also circling the studio's high-profile literary adaptation "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which Scott Rudin is producing. Though there is no deal in place on "Dragon Tattoo," Fincher has catapulted to the top of the studio's list to helm the pic based on Stieg Larsson's bestseller.

Huh, they don't mention that this has already been made into a movie... I think the most successful Swedish movie of all time.  But I guess literary adaptation sounds better than re-make.

[MacGuffin]

David Fincher Not Directing 'Pawn Sacrifice,' Doing 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' Next
Source: The Playlist

It seems news reported earlier this month that David Fincher was going to direct "Pawn Sacrifice," the 1970s-set chess drama with Tobey Maguire attached in the lead, was not entirely accurate. According to our sources, while Fincher did take a meeting with the filmmakers to "help them out" in what we imagine was an advisory role, we've been told he was never in the director's chair and is not going to be.

However, we've confirmed that "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is definitely Fincher's next film. Already adapted into an award-winning Swedish language trilogy, the English-language version is being produced by Scott Rudin at Sony with Steve Zaillian ("Schindler's List," "American Gangster," the original draft of "Moneyball") currently writing the script. Shooting is set to begin in September or October, presumably once Fincher finishes press rounds for "The Social Network."

As we previously reported, Carey Mulligan was on the studio wishlist for the lead role of Lisbeth Salander but that seems to be as far as it's gotten. As Mulligan herself confirmed, she's not received any official calls regarding the role and we're not surprised considering the script isn't finished. From what we hear, Fincher wants an unknown for the lead role which would prove to be an interesting gamble for such a high profile project (not to mention a major coup for whoever lands it). That said, Sony are reportedly very happy with the result of "The Social Network" and we don't imagine they'll get in the way of Fincher casting the project the way he wants.

With this news, we're not sure what this means for "Pawn Sacrifice." But if producers were meeting with Fincher about the project, it might mean he was giving them direction, notes and possibly filmmaker suggestions, but who knows if it will go in front of the cameras soon. It's also pretty safe to say that the 3D animated "Heavy Metal" that's now being shopped around town will be a way off as well, but then again Fincher won't be directing it entirely alone either.

[MacGuffin]

Carey Mulligan set to become Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Source: Times Online UK

FOR Carey Mulligan, who sprang to fame last year in the hit British film, An Education, Hollywood has come knocking. She is set to play Lisbeth Salander, punk heroine of the bestselling thriller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Mulligan has won the approval of David Fincher, the director, and also the family of the late Stieg Larsson, the Swedish author who created Salander. The choice follows weeks of casting rumours, with producers sifting through nearly 5,000 potential candidates.

Hollywood insiders say Mulligan can expect to be paid up to £10m for the three films covering Larsson's Millennium trilogy, which has sold 1m copies in Britain and 25m worldwide. This will make her one of Britain's best-paid actresses.

Mulligan, 24, was nominated for an Oscar and won a Bafta for playing the perky schoolgirl Jenny in An Education, the script for which was adapted by Nick Hornby from the memoir by Lynn Barber, the journalist.

Mulligan has made no secret of her desire to play Salander, a fierce "biker chick" computer hacker who helps an out-of-luck journalist investigate a long-missing woman in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the first book in the trilogy.

"I am obsessed with those books," she said last month. "I would love to do them. I am not going to lie about that. I would love to play Lisbeth Salander."

Since then Scott Rudin, the Hollywood producer who shared an Oscar with the Coen brothers for No Country for Old Men in 2008 and been nominated for 13 other Oscars, has won over the family of Larsson, who died in 2004. They had been wary about the prospect of a Hollywood film.

"They now understand what kind of film he is making and they like Carey," said an industry source last week.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has already been filmed in Swedish under its original title, Men Who Hate Women, with Noomi Rapace, a stage actress, playing the bisexual Salander. It was popular in Scandinavia but its subtitles have prevented it becoming a mainstream hit in America, where it opened last month.

The new version may be relocated to Canada as a compromise for American audiences. It will not reach cinemas until all three books have been turned into Swedish-language films by the team behind the television hit Wallander.

The final decision on casting will be made soon by Fincher, director of Fight Club, Se7en and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He has been talking to Mulligan's representatives at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles, which has been seeking a "breakout" role for their young British client.

"Carey has proven she can do sweet and tough in An Education," said a CAA executive last week of the film in which Mulligan played the young Barber as a naïf swept off her feet by an older conman.

"Now she wants to do something bigger and bolder, without becoming a comic book heroine. This role will make her a household name."

[Pas]

Oh shit I wonder how they'll make that work... it could be great but so far I have a hard time seeing Mulligan doing the shit Salander does. They'll probably tone down that brutal rape scene because in the book/the original film it is FUCKING hard but the character looks so tough that you know she'll get through it. I can't see a fresh face like Mulligan going through that shit like Rapace did.

Rapace is the best and IS Lisbeth but I hope she'll be good too.

I  wonder who they'll cast as Blomkvist... Liam Neeson would be good for it I think.

Anyway lol@everyone on the other thread who said this story was trash/worst thing of the year/etc...

[modage]

I saw the Swedish version and thought it was like a bad TV movie.  I have NO IDEA how Fincher will make this into anything remotely interesting.

[Captain of Industry]

I saw the Swedish version and thought it was like a bad TV movie.  I have NO IDEA how Fincher will make this into anything remotely interesting.

Right?  I feel the same way.

Plus pete was reading the book and it seemed like he was saying some problems are inherent to the source material, otherwise I might think this version could succeed with some type of redirected veracity.  Though Pas Rap is firm in his stance that the female protagonist is rich in substance, and 85% of Rotten Tomatoes critics agree with him.

I'll be following this one with interested skepticism and an allowance for redemption.  I mean, in my mind it's only uphill from Oplev's version.

[Pas]

I saw the Swedish version and thought it was like a bad TV movie.  I have NO IDEA how Fincher will make this into anything remotely interesting.

Right?  I feel the same way.

Don't watch the 2 sequels cause they actually are TV movies 

[MacGuffin]

Could Brad Pitt Pull Off 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'?
by Jenni Miller; Cinematical

American fans of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy are eagerly waiting for the last installment of the thrilling mystery series to hit shelves tomorrow. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest continues the story of Lisbeth Salander, an insanely smart hacker who is probably one of the most interesting and challenging heroines in modern literature. All three of Larsson's published books have already been made into movies in Sweden (the New York Times, among other outlets, have teased readers with the possibility of more Salander novels left unfinished at the time of Larsson's untimely death), with The Girl Who Played With Fire coming out this July and Hornet's Nest out in October. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo came out in the US in March.

The American adaptation, which will be directed by David Fincher and written by Oscar-winner Steven Zaillian (Gangs of New York, Schindler's List, American Gangster), doesn't have its leads set in stone yet, although it looks like Carey Mulligan is most likely going to end up as Salander. (Noomi Rapace, who plays Salander in the original movies, has made it clear she has no interest in reprising her role for US audiences.) Anne Thompson reports that Brad Pitt will be reading for the male lead, Mikael "Kalle" Blomkvist, in June.

The problem with Pitt is he's too good-looking and all-American. He's a fine actor and an excellent collaborator with Fincher, but Blomkvist is not a pretty boy. Although at least two of Blomkvist's love affairs were cut out of the original movie for the sake of time and streamlining what was already an unwieldy plot, he's not written as your typical lady killer. (There is a full-length mini-series version of Dragon Tattoo made for Swedish TV that includes these subplots, although when it's not clear if it will be released on DVD for US audiences.) One might, if one wanted to be ungenerous, say that it was a bit of wish fulfillment to make Kalle's character as attractive to women as he seems to be.

Michael Nyqvist, who plays Blomkvist in the original, is not hard on the eyes, but he's not the same type of handsome that Pitt is. He's good-looking in a normal way -- easy-going, a little pock-marked, and generally a decent enough guy that a woman could safely fall into bed (or in love) with. That's part of Blomkvist's appeal and part of what makes the extremely self-protective Salander allow him into her world.

Thompson suggests a few possible alternate leads, with number one being Mads Mikkelsen. I could definitely see that, especially since Mikkelsen is himself Scandinavian. Frankly, I can't imagine a more inappropriate, though typically Hollywood, casting choice than Brad Pitt. If Fincher and Zaillian plan to keep their movie close to the book itself, why cast one of the most famous and handsome men in the world to play an everyday journalist? Could he even play someone who's Swedish? Could we ever forget for a second that Blomkvist is Pitt and vice versa?

[Derek]

Daniel Craig in early talks for 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'
by Nicole Sperling
Categories: Deals, Movie Biz, News
Though Sony says there is no offer on the table, an insider confirmed that the studio has begun talks with Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace) to star in the Hollywood adaptation in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Craig, who is about to start shooting the sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens for Dreamworks, would play journalist Mikael Blomkvist. The news was first reported by The Wrap.

Craig's schedule is clear now that the next James Bond movie has been postponed indefinitely due to MGM's financial woes. Tattoo is an adaptation of the first book in the best-selling Millenium trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson. David Fincher is set to direct to film and is said to be high on Craig. The two are expected to meet in Los Angeles in the next few days.

[modage]

Sony's Columbia Pictures has set a Wednesday, December 21, 2011 release date for director David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

[MacGuffin]

Rooney Mara to star in 'Dragon Tattoo' franchise
Source: Variety

Sony and director David Fincher have tapped Rooney Mara to star opposite Daniel Craig in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Mara, who appears in Fincher's upcoming pic "The Social Network," will play the lead role of Lisbeth in Columbia's adaptation of the bestselling trilogy from author Stieg Larsson.

Mara joins a "Tattoo" cast that includes Craig, who stars as reporter Mikael Blomkvist, Robin Wright Penn and Stellan Skarsgard. The 24 year-old actress was said to be Fincher's #1 choice for the role of Lisbeth in Sony's franchise.

Originally adapted for the bigscreen in Sweden, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" series has become a top priority on Sony's list of upcoming tentpoles, which also includes a forthcoming "Men in Black" installment.

Scott Rudin is producing "Dragon Tattoo" alongside Cean Chaffin, Ole Sondberg and Soren Staermose. Mikael Wallen and Anni Fernandez are exec producers.

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" tells the story of a legally challenged journalist (Craig) who attempts to solve a decades-old murder with the help of a mysterious computer hacker (Mara).

Steve Zaillian penned the script and is in preliminary talks to adapt the sequel, "The Girl Who Played With Fire."

[MacGuffin]

'Dragon Tattoo' casting raises questions
Will violent, sexy actioner click with U.S. auds?
Source: Variety

There is a lot riding on the shoulders of Rooney Mara, the 25-year-old American thesp who won the title role in Columbia Pictures' "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

It's a big commitment: The casting covers a trio of high-profile pictures. In addition, readers of the three books -- published in 44 countries and selling more than 40 million copies worldwide to date -- have a clear picture of the iconic savant hacker Lisbeth Salander.

Sony won't comment on the budget for the pics, but it appears that the studio, director David Fincher and producer Scott Rudin aren't thinking cheap. According to insiders, scribe Steve Zaillian's deal for the second pic is said to be record-breaking.

After a long search, Columbia wasn't convinced Mara was perfect casting, but Fincher prevailed in a debate that was waged through this weekend. Fincher, who directed her in the studio's upcoming "The Social Network," convinced the top execs. (Mara also appeared in this year's "A Nightmare on Elm Street.")

The Stieg Larsson trilogy also includes "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest." While the books' runaway success would seem to create a slamdunk for the studio -- witness the success of the "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" book-to-film adaptations -- there are also hot books that haven't translated to B.O. (Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones," the biggest bestseller of 2002, couldn't find much traction with moviegoers last year, even with Peter Jackson directing.)

Another hurdle for the studio is the success of the trio of Swedish-language film adaptations. That trio has grossed $202.9 million worldwide so far. After the other two bowed in the U.S. this year, "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" launches Oct. 15. Since overseas B.O. accounts for the majority of a film's B.O., the worldwide tallies are all-important, but there's little precedent for anticipating reaction to English-language remakes.

There's also the question of the American appetite for a dark property that will necessitate a hard R rating for its key scenes of rape, sadism and murder. Insiders say a top Col exec twice passed on the property when it was brought to the studio by helmer Marc Forster. It wasn't until Sony chairman Michael Lynton read the books that he insisted on the studio making the pics with Rudin producing.

Daniel Craig co-stars in the three-picture adaptation of the late Larsson's Millennium trilogy, with Robin Wright co-starring and Stellan Skarsgard cast in a supporting role in the first installment. The studio is also in talks with Max van Sydow to play the key role of Henrik Vanger.

Columbia mulled a number of name actresses for the role of Salander, including Natalie Portman, who refused to test for Fincher, and Kristen Stewart, who worked with Fincher as a child in "Panic Room." Ultimately, Mara -- great-granddaughter of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. and New York Giants founder Tim Mara as well as sister of "Brokeback Mountain" thesp Kate Mara -- landed the role.

Fincher is a final-cut director whose work include serial killer pic "Zodiac," which was critically acclaimed but topped out at $33 million domestically, and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which was his highest-grossing pic with $127 million.

"Dragon Tattoo," which begins shooting next month in Sweden, is set to bow worldwide Dec. 21, 2011.

[modage]

The books are so huge the movie will be a hit even if it sucks.  See: The Da Vinci Turd.